We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest
Click Here for Video (You Tube)
Click Here for Order of Service (Word Doc)
These opening words from “Ella’s Song” provide the beginning for a look at the current initiative to ban racial profiling in the city of Des Moines. Stealing shamelessly from the framework created by Bryan Stevenson, Harvey will look at issues of racial justice in Des Moines through the lens of the initiative. The questions to be answered is: As Unitarian Universalist people of faith, what is our calling?
“If you are not in the arena and also getting your arse kicked, I am not interested your feedback”. Brene Brown.
The Joy of Stepping on Eggshells
One Service at 10:00 am Celebrant, Martha Shen Have you ever considered that walking on eggshells might actually be satisying if we weren't trying to prevent the inevitable? Let's consider how we can speak from a place of beauty and care, rather than fear of activating someone else's reactivity. We'll continue an exploration of nonviolent communication (or compassionate communication).
The Beauty of Resilience
Click Here for Video. (You Tube) Resilience is the ability to adapt in the face of adversity. Beginning with the studies of "adverse childhood experiences" in the mid-1990s, Center for Disease Control has been able to link the number of childhood traumas a person experiences to serious health problems during adulthood. Although one response has been preventative interventions with children at risk, there's also been a marvelous and heartening discovery: even as adults, people can become resilient and heal from childhood trauma, especially if they have the encouragement of a supportive faith community. The we explore today is how to become a "Resilience-Engaged, Aware & Loving" (REAL) community. As the researchers put it, "The relationship is the healing intervention."
The Ancestors of Summer
One Service at 10:00 am Celebrant, Birch Spick This June marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots (June 28-29, 1969), a watershed moment for LGBTQ liberation movements in the United States. On this Capital City Pride weekend, join our community as we consider what beauty we find in resistance. As we gather together, may we consider how the fore-runners of the queer and trans liberation movements teach us this.
The Beauty of Community
Click Here for Video (You Tube)
In this service that precedes our annual congregational meeting, we celebrate the beauty of community. Members here aspire to make our First Unitarian community warm and welcoming and to make a positive difference in the world. To paraphrase the draft mission statement, we're here to inspire spiritual and ethical growth; to prepare ourselves for service within and outside our walls; and (beginning with ourselves) to heal the world. This mission encapsulates the beautiful community we aspire to be. Today we celebrate the ways that as a community we are living into our aspirations—despite, and sometimes because of, the bumps and glitches we experience along the way.